WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 15m
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HE QUOTED RELIABLE AUTHORITIES AS SAYING THAT JUST ONE PAIR OF RATS OF OPPOSITE SEXES WILL BREED AT LEAST 10,000 RATS BY THE END OF A YEAR AND OVER ONE MILLION BY THE END OF THE SECOND YEAR.
+EVEN IF THEY DO NOT ALL SURVIVE AND ALLOWING FOR SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN BREEDING, THESE FIGURES ARE STAGGERING. THE FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT SHOW AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 300,000 RATS BEING CAUGHT ANNUALLY IN RECENT YEARS,+ DR. FANG SAID.
HE SUGGESTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT, IF IT LACKED MANPOWER AND FACILITIES, CONSIDER RE-INTRODUCING A MONETARY REWARD SYSTEM, ADOPTED IN 1900, TO ENLIST THE HELP OF THE PUBLIC.
HE SAID THERE WAS ROOM FOR IMPOVING THE EFFICENCY OF EXISTING CONTROL MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE USD, BY VARYING THE POISONS AND DOSAGES, AND BY IMPROVING THE DESIGN OF TRAPS.
+FURTHERMORE, THERE SHOULD BE AN OVERALL CO-ORDINATED APPROACH WHICH TAKES ACCOUNT OF THE WIDER ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT OF RAT CONTROL. THESE INCLUDE BUILDING DESIGN, GENERAL CLEANSING, DISTRICT HYGIENE AND HEALTH EDUCATION ESPECIALLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NEW TOWNS, HE SAID.
THE HON. LYDIA DUNN SAID EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AMPLY DEMONSTRATED THAT THE CONTROL OF RATS AND OTHER PESTS REQUIRES A CONTINUING EFFORT AND COMPLETE ERADICATION IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE, WHILE THE SPEED WITH WHICH THEY CAN MULTIPLY IS SUCH THAT ANY RELAXATION, LET ALONE INADEQUACY, OF CONTROL MEASURES CAN HAVE DISASTROUS EFFECTS.
+IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW ANY GOVERNMENT CAN EVER REALLY BE SATISFIED THAT ITS PEST CONTROL MEASURES ARE ADEQUATE, AT ANY RATE IN THE ABSENCE OF QUITE POSITIVE EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS SO, SHE SAID.
THE OFFICIAL ATTITUDE, SHE SAID, SUGGESTS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS SOMEWHAT INDIFFERENT TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE LITTLE HERALDED, BUT VERY VITAL BASIC PUBLIC SERVICES, MAY BE DUE TO A PRE-OCCUPATION WITH OTHER LARGER SUBJECTS.
+ BE THAT AS IT MAY, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT UNDER-ESTIMATES THE DAMAGE TO ITS IMAGE AMONG ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO SUFFER DISCOMFORT AND, IN SOME CASES, EVEN FEAR, AS A RESULT OF THE INEFFICIENT, AND EVEN INADEQUATE, PROVISION OF BASIC SERVICES, SHE SAID.
SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION, MR. JONES ASSURED THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN USING THE BEST METHODS AVAILABLE, AND MORE WOULD BE DONE, TO ERADICATE THE RAT PROBLEM.
HE REVEALED